LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — A breakthrough in
stroke research identifying the potential reversibility of chronic
neurologic disability in stroke survivors has published today. In
the February 1, 2011 issue of the journal CNS Drugs the
first human results of a new method of targeting chronic brain
inflammation years after stroke are reported. Rapid improvement in
impaired motor function, gait, hand function, sensory deficits,
spatial perception, speech, cognition and behavior were noted among
the first three consecutive patients treated. All patients
demonstrated improvement beginning within 10 minutes of drug
administration(1).
The study utilized a new method of delivery of etanercept, a
potent biotechnology anti-inflammatory therapeutic. Etanercept has
been a breakthrough for rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory
disorders. It works by neutralizing tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a
cytokine that initiates and amplifies inflammation. The therapeutic
potential of etanercept in Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain
injury, spinal cord injury, sciatica, and other neuroinflammatory
disorders has attracted increasing attention(1).
Previous research had produced evidence of chronic brain
inflammation following stroke. The CNS Drugs results
provide, for the first time, proof-of-concept that targeting
chronic brain inflammation is a viable therapeutic approach in
humans years after stroke. The medical need is massive; in the
United States alone approximately 795,000 individuals suffer a new
or recurrent stroke each year. This calculates to a stroke
happening every 40 seconds. At present, these patients lack
treatment options to reverse the chronic disability that often
results and many require full time care.
These new results provide a new direction for stroke research.
In their most recent consensus statement, “Stroke: Working
Towards a Prioritized World Agenda“, leading stroke researchers
recognized the n
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